Chapel Hill and Durham Engagement Photo Locations
Chapel Hill and Durham Engagement Photo Locations
If you’ve seen our list of Raleigh engagement photo locations and our favorite offbeat engagement session ideas, you know we love Raleigh. But we’ve got a lot of love for the rest of North Carolina’s Triangle region too! This page is dedicated to Durham engagement photo locations plus Chapel Hill and the rest of our neighbors.
One extra note, several of these locations require permits and/or reservations, so make sure to check with us about that as we finalize your engagement photo session!
And while you’re planning your Raleigh engagement photos, make sure to check out our wedding guide:
UNC Chapel Hill’s Campus
I’m a Tar Heel born and a Tar Heel bred. Went there for undergrad and law school, and I will take any chance I can to spend some time on Carolina’s campus. The Bell Tower and the Old Well and Franklin Street are great backdrops for people with a connection to the university. Coker Arboretum provides a gorgeous natural atmosphere regardless of whether or not you bleed Carolina Blue.
For inspiration, check out Laura & Taylor and Megha & Graham
Downtown Chapel Hill/Carrboro
I mentioned Franklin Street in relation to UNC’s campus, but even if you don’t particularly care about getting the UNC vibe, downtown Chapel Hill and Carrboro have a lot of fun and colorful locations for engagement photos. There are murals, interesting sculptures, green space, and multiple places to stop for ice cream or beer or both.
For inspiration, check out Melissa & Ben and Lindsay & Matt
Downtown Durham Loop
Much like downtown Raleigh, downtown Durham has several sub-locations that all work great for engagement photos and it’s fun to mix and match depending on your personal style. The central loop (the area of downtown Durham between Ramseur Street and West Morgan) is one such sub-location. This is where you’ll find Alley 26, Major the Bull, and a bunch of murals.
For inspiration, check out Abby & Liam, Tricia & Brent, Safa & Jon, or just type Durham into the blog search, since there are plenty.
American Tobacco Campus
Want the vibes of downtown Durham plus a water feature? Really love the look of brick? The American Tobacco Campus is a super popular location for engagement photos in Durham. You’ve got a large lawn in the center, plus brick pathways everywhere and a mini-river running through the grounds. One thing I like about American Tobacco Campus is that it’s close enough to other popular Durham locations that you can mix and match relatively easily.
For inspiration, check out Heidi & Keith and Rachel & Bob
Durham Central Park
The last little section of downtown Durham that I like to recommend is the Central Park area, which I think of as including the limits of the downtown loop to Central Park itself to everything up to the Cocoa Cinnamon/Fullsteam/Motorco neighborhood. This part of town has tons of great color, a park, and great spots for laughing over coffee or beer together.
For inspiration, check out Hayley & Brian and Tricia & Brent.
Duke’s campus
Even this dyed-in-the-wool Tar Heel can admit that Duke has a gorgeous campus. If you’ve got ties to the Blue Devils, let it show in your engagement session. And don’t forget about Duke Gardens. We even photographed a wedding at the Lemur Center once and it was awesome.
For inspiration, check out Leslie & Sean.
Eno River
Want some nature instead of all this downtown/building stuff I’m throwing at you? Well, there are tons of great parks in and around Chapel Hill and Durham, but my personal favorite spot is the Eno River. You’ve got wooded sections, and then of course the river itself. My favorite section is shallow enough all the way across to go wading. And there are some cool bridges over the
water too.
For inspiration, check out Rachel & Bob and Laura & Rita
We believe that love is bright and colorful. And love is FUN.
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